Each April for the past 12 years, residents have gathered to
commemorate Earth Day by scouring township roads for trash.

Volunteers picked up discarded tires and a television set on Riverton and River roads in Upper Mount Bethel Township.Express-Times Photo | John Best

Troy, now 15, went
door-to-door and passed out fliers this year as he has for the past few years,
looking for cleanup volunteers on a Saturday close to Earth Day, celebrated April 22. Twenty
residents met up at 9 a.m. Saturday,
when Troy and his parents handed
out work gloves, trash bags and orange safety vests and sent the group down
River and Riverton roads.

By noon, they covered
about 4 miles.

"It really brings the community together," Troy said. "Every
year, we get more people."

Their patrol covered the steep banks along the
Delaware River and Mill Creek. The volunteers crept down treacherous terrain
that is difficult for the township's department of public works employees to
reach. The low-lying areas are an easy target for those who want to dump junk
illegally.

The crew not only picked up small garbage like soda cans but also
retrieved multiple car tires, discarded TV sets and other debris.

Harold Deal and his wife, Bets, 42-year township residents, were
part of the squad. Harold also paddles down the Musconetcong
River in New Jersey
once a year, picking up garbage on the riverbanks with the Mohawk Canoe Club.

"We do it for pride. You hate to see disrespectful people
littering," Deal said. "When you do it annually, it helps. You have a better
chance to stay on top of it."

The group consolidated piles of trash on the road's shoulder
every few hundred feet. Township workers will come around and pick them up.

Troy began his
yearly cleanup gathering before he joined the Boy Scouts. He plans to use his
community service toward his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout. Troy's parents
are proud of the Moravian Academy freshman.

"We've always honored Earth Day," said Troy's mother, Mary.
"We are very happy that Troy has taken over. He's more committed to it than we
are."